Firstly, sincere thanks to our guest speaker Luke Menzel (CEO of the Energy Efficiency Council) for giving us a preview of their Best Practice Guide to Energy Efficiency Policy, and also insights into who are the exemplars of energy efficiency/demand response in the world today, ie. California & Germany. Luke was very entertaining, informative and also very open and accommodating during the Q&A.

As circumstances would have it the timing of our event could not have been more relevant with the government announcing the “NEG” the day before but, as Luke pointed out, without a mention of energy efficiency being part of the policy mix. So “Policy is crucial” for energy efficiency to provide its real benefits to consumers, industry and utilities alike. Good, effective policy is not easy and Australia is lagging but we can learn a lot from the policies and programs implemented over decades by the above governments. Hence the EEC’s policy guide.

Despite our lack of cohesive policy at a federal level, we do have the world leading NABERS building performance tool, the Commercial Building Disclosure Program and other state-based schemes that are delivering significant savings and emissions reductions. Apparently though, energy efficiency is not “sexy” so it doesn’t get the attention it deserves, even though it is a multi-billion $ industry in both California & Germany……

Clearly we have a way to go in Australia so keep your eyes out for the EEC policy guide and visit eec.org.au for more information, as well as for details of their National Conference in Melbourne on November 20 & 21.

Thanks also to Schneider Electric for providing the food and beverages for the evening.

Next Event: Leadership Panel - SOLD OUT

Our next event on 3 November is already sold out! Waitlist available - register here.

Note: If you can no longer attend, please do change your registration to allow those waitlisted to attend.

We have invited 3 respected leaders in sustainability to share their experiences, insights and knowledge on what it takes to be successful in the sustainability field. This will be followed by our very first Leadership Panel session where you will have a chance to ask your burning questions.

This event is sponsored by:

Social Event: Pre-holiday drinks on 30 November

Join us on November 30 for some pre-holiday drinkies.

We thought it would be a great idea to get together for a casual natter without any guest speakers or formalities. Just bring your drinking arm and wallet.

Location: Two Wolves Cantina, 202 Broadway, Chippendale.

Climate Change adaption in the infrastructure sector

The Australian Climate Change Adaptation Research Network for Settlements and Infrastructure (ACCARNSI) is undertaking a project to identify the adaptive capacity of Australian infrastructure sectors to future climate changes. This project will provide an understanding of industry adaptive capacity and how climate change adaptation can be or is being included in strategic business planning for the infrastructure sectors.

As part of this project, they have asked EPF members participate in a survey. The link is here. Answering the survey should only take 5 minutes of your time.

Professional Development

Training for change makers: Sydney and Melbourne: October - November 2016

For those with existing or up-coming projects, the workshop acts as a project clinic, letting you review and redevelop your project (with a great team of collaborators).

Seeking sponsors for EPF events

Would you like to see more or different food at the EPF Events? Or have it at a different location. Do you know someone who would love to sponsor the food or venue at EPF events? Please email the committee if you have any suggestions or sponsorship connections, we'd love to hear from you!

National Energy Efficiency Conference 2016

The National Energy Efficiency Conference, presented by the Energy Efficiency Council, is Australia’s premier annual event for energy efficiency, demand management and cogeneration.

The conference takes place on 15-16 November 2016 at Australian Technology Park, Sydney.

Over 350 efficiency leaders, innovators, energy users and policy makers will connect in Sydney to hear, debate and analyse the latest Australian and global thinking about maximising productivity by saving energy.

Contribute to Word of Mouth

Do you have positions, events or points of interest you’d like to share with the EPF network via Word of Mouth? Please send them to thevolunteer EPF Committee. Please note that we require approx 12 days lead time. We welcome your contributions.

For last minute or immediate posting of events/positions please use our LinkedIn group.

Save the Date! Join us on 3 November to find out what it takes to be a sustainability leader. We have invited 3 respected leaders in sustainability to share their experiences, insights and knowledge on what it takes to be successful in the sustainability field. This will be followed by our very first Leadership Panel session where you will have a chance to ask your burning questions.

Holiday Event: Pre-holiday drinks on 30 November

Join us on November 30 for some pre holiday drinkies. We thought it would be a great idea to get together for a casual natter without any guest speakers or formalities. Just bring your drinking arm and wallet.

Recap on Collaboration for Good event on 28 July

EPF’s premier Collaboration for Good event bought together dozens of passionate members and 3 non-profits to try and solve some sticky problems. Using Design Thinking techniques, our participants were challenged to problem solve in new ways, leading to an interactive and dynamic night with a number of great ideas being generated for the non-profits. A report on the findings will follow soon.

Thank you to our sponsors

We'd like to take a moment to thank our gracious sponsors for making our last event happen: University of Sydney, Newgate, Grosvenor's, Fujitsu, Nature Conservation Council, GECA and FNPW.

Seeking sponsors for EPF event catering

Would you like to see more or different food at the EPF Events? Or have it at a different location. Do you know someone who would love to sponsor the food or venue at EPF events? Please email the committee if you have any suggestions or sponsorship connections, we'd love to hear from you!

National Energy Efficiency Conference 2016

The National Energy Efficiency Conference, presented by the Energy Efficiency Council, is Australia’s premier annual event for energy efficiency, demand management and cogeneration.

The conference takes place on 15-16 November 2016 at Australian Technology Park, Sydney.

Over 350 efficiency leaders, innovators, energy users and policy makers will connect in Sydney to hear, debate and analyse the latest Australian and global thinking about maximising productivity by saving energy.

Do you have positions, events or points of interest you’d like to share with the EPF network via Word of Mouth? Please send them to thevolunteer EPF Committee. Please note that we require approx 12 days lead time. We welcome your contributions.

For last minute or immediate posting of events/positions please use our LinkedIn group.

In May, Fujitsu and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative were involved in a series of conferences in Australia.

One of which was the Carbon Market Institute (CMI) held their 3rd Annual Emissions Reduction Summit. The Summit brought together national and international leaders from business, government, technology and finance, to discuss how the power of ICT can be unleashed to address climate change and help build a more sustainable future.

The former Prime Minister of the Kiribati Islands, Anote Tong was in attendance. Anote is seeing firsthand the issue of climate change and as a nation they have purchased land in Fiji in preparation for their future survival as their homes are literally sinking. This is a stark reminder of the current reality of climate change.

GeSI is a world-renowned industry body promoting ICT as an enabler for improving sustainability. The latest GeSI SMARTer2030 report examines carbon emission changes arising from ICT enabled activities across the global economy as well as its social and economic positive impacts.

Fujitsu is an environmentally aware business, who believes that ICT can and will play a pivotal role in solving some of society’s greatest challenges.

You can register for this life-enhancing program at www.ozgreen.orgAny questions: hammond@ozgreen.org.au

Video link: Educating kids on climate change

Sydney Opera House Children, Families & Creative Learning team has created a video in collaboration with ABC’s ‘Dirt Girl’ and ‘Costa’ explaining the carbon footprint of their show, ‘Get Grubby the Musical’ when it was presented at Sydney Opera House in January 2016. The video also explores how kids can help to reduce their carbon footprint at home. To offset the emissions resulting from the Get Grubby the Musical, the CF & CL team planted 1000 native Australian trees on Earth Day in April 2016.

Would you like to see more or different food at the EPF Events? Do you know someone who would love to sponsor the food provided at EPF events? Please email the committee if you have any suggestions or sponsorship connections, we'd love to hear from you!

Recap on Biodiversity

Jeff Angel from Total Environment Centre updated us at our March event on the NSW Biodiversity Review, including recent and upcoming campaigns.

The new Biodiversity Conservation Act will cover the whole state, including urban, coastal and rural areas. There is a concern that previously protected areas may be at risk under the new scheme. Additionally, a single biodiversity assessment methodology raises more questions regarding the practice of biodiversity offsetting and banking.

With over 100 species of flora and fauna extinct in NSW alone from the past 200 years, new biodiversity laws are critical to conserving and preserving our natural environment.

SEE is open for registration!

Free registration is NOW OPEN for SEE Sustainable Experience 21-23 July 2016 at Australian Technology Park Sydney. This is Australia's green building and design event for specifiers, designers, builders, building owners, facility managers etc. Register here.

Contribute to Word of Mouth

Do you have positions, events or points of interest you’d like to share with the EPF network via Word of Mouth? Please send them to thevolunteer EPF Committee. Please note that we require approx 12 days lead time. We welcome your contributions.

For last minute or immediate posting of events/positions please use our LinkedIn group.

Welcome to ‘Word of Mouth’, the occasional EPF circular containing information generated by sustainability professionals for sustainability professionals in the network. We welcome your contributions.

Please find a LINK HERE to Andrew Petersen's slides from our last event for your download and perusal.

We would also appreciate it if you could take the time to fill out our member survey which Lee Stewart mentioned at our last event LINK HERE thank you.

Thank you to all those who expressed an interest in joining the volunteering committee. We will be announcing and welcoming our new committee members at our next event.

Please find below an invitation to our next event, positions, professional development opportunities and general items of interest in the environmental/sustainability space in NSW for both you and for your extended networks.

POSITION:

Due to an internal promotion at Westpac, there is a vacancy for a Sustainable Supply Chain Manager. Please see link below for more details. Please feel free to circulate to whomever you think might be interested.

IAP2 (International Association for Public Participation) Foundations in Public Participation (Certificate in Public Participation)

Engagement is an important part of any project and policy initiative. Sustainability essentially includes levels of stakeholder interaction or ‘social licence to operate’. This usually occurs through community engagement.

This course will provide you with:

the skills to plan for, and effectively engage with the community

the ability to apply frameworks to policy development

‘Certificate in Public Participation’ that is the stated requirement of some government positions.

University of Technology, Sydney - Institute for Public Policy and Governance conducts this Internationally recognised course that has been the industry standard in Australia for almost 20 years.

The practice of project design for changeThe complete toolset for devising behaviour change projects + plus innovation skills, buzz-making, and lots of inspiring examples, in a lively and inspiring workshop. Learn how to really engage a community in change.SYDNEY: 2-3 May 2016 MELBOURNE: 16-17 May 2016Venue details. Book a place.

Australia's green building and design event is open for registration!Free registration is NOW OPEN for SEE Sustainable Experience 21-23 July 2016 at Australian Technology Park Sydney CLICK HERE TO REGISTERAustralia's green building and design event for specifiers, designers, builders, building owners, facility managers, etc.

NEXT EVENT:

The NSW Biodiversity Review - Biodiversity Conservation or a Return to Broad Scale Land Clearing?

The NSW Biodiversity ReviewSponsored by Fujitsu and the University of Sydney, The Environmental Professionals Forum (EPF) is delighted to invite you to our second event of 2016, where we take a look at the NSW Biodiversity Review.

Synopsis: In June 2014, the NSW Government commissioned an Independent Panel to conduct a review of the Native Vegetation Act, Threatened Species Conservation Act, Nature Conservation Trust Act and parts of parts of the National Parks and Wildlife Act. In March2015the Government agreed to implement all 43 recommendations of this Review and a draft Bill - the Biodiversity Conservation Bill - is expected for public release in March 2016.

But will the new legislation put a stop to further biodiversity declines? How will it affect Sydney communities? And what will its implications be on Australia's COP 21 commitments?

In this presentation, Jeff Angel, Executive Director of the Total Environment Centre, will review the Government's key proposals for its new biodiversity and tree clearing legislation which will apply acrossurban, coastal and rural NSW. This will include a detailed discussion of the Government's proposed Biodiversity Offsets Policy which will be mandatory for a majority of developments across the State.

Date: Tuesday March 1st 2016Venue: The University of Sydney Business School, Level 16, 133 Castlereagh Street, CityTime: 6:00 for 6:30pm – 7.30pm presentation. 8pm close. You’re warmly invited to continue the conversation and networking after the presentation.Cost: This event is free of charge due to the generosity of Total Environment Australia, Fujitsu and the University of Sydney Business School.RSVP: Please CLICK HERESeats are limited to 80. Reserve your spot early to avoid disappointment.

About the speaker:Jeff has worked at the forefront of Australia’s environment movement since the save the rainforest days more than 30 years ago. He is actively engaged in the intellectual challenges which are transforming the environment movement from conservation-focused to forward planning for a new green economic paradigm.

A passionate crusader for the protection of Australia’s wild places, and its unique bio-diversity, Jeff is also renowned for his ability to bring warring parties to the table and has set up many alliances between business, industry and green groups which would have been unthinkable even ten years ago. In 2008 Jeff published Green is Good (ABC Books).

CONTRIBUTE TO WORD OF MOUTH:

Do you have positions, events or points of interest you’d like to share with the EPF network via Word of Mouth? Please send them to the volunteer EPF Committee in Microsoft Word format with ‘WoM’ as the subject of the email. Please also note that we require approx 12 days lead time. We welcome your contributions. For last minute or immediate posting of events/positions please use our LinkedIn group.

About the Environmental Professionals Forum

The Environmental Professionals Forum (EPF) was formed by a group of masters’ students in 2005 over a few beverages at the Art House. Its charter is to advance the environmental and sustainability profession by providing an informal space to network and exchange ideas. Today the EPF network has grown to over 1000 professionals who reflect the dynamic evolution of the field.

The EPF is run by a voluntary group of committed professionals and is open to anyone with an interest in the environment and sustainability.

To join the EPF network and receive our Word of Mouth emails and quarterly event invites, please SIGN UP AT OUR WEBSITE and join our LinkedIn Group by clicking on the icons below.

The Environmental Professionals Forum (EPF) is delighted to invite you to our first event of 2016, Bringing Paris to You.

On December 12, 2015 in Paris, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change came to a landmark agreement.

Signed by 196 nations, the Paris Agreement is the first comprehensive global treaty to combat climate change, and will follow on from the Kyoto Protocol when it ends in 2020.

It will be ratified by at least 55 countries before coming into force, covering at least 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Andrew Petersen, CEO from Sustainable Business Australia was on the ground and has kindly offered to present to us, his personal take away of the key points.

Date: Wednesday January 13th 2016

Venue: The University of Sydney Business School, Level 16, 133 Castlereagh Street, City

Time: 6:00 for 6:30pm – 7.30pm presentation. 8pm close.

You’re warmly invited to continue the conversation and networking after the presentation.

Cost: This event is free of charge due to the generosity of Sustainable Business Australia and the University of Sydney Business School. However at such short notice, we are without a third party sponsor for this event, so we invite you to BYO and the EPF will provide some light nibbles.

In March 2011, Andrew Petersen was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Sustainable Business Australia (SBA). He has an enviable reputation as legal advisor on matters relating to environmental risk, law and policy, including climate change, and as a thought leader and advisor on the business of sustainability.

As a qualified and practising lawyer in Australia, he was the Partner of the Environmental and Development Group of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Legal from 1999 to 2006, and then the Legal and Advisory Lead of PwC Australia's Sustainability and Climate Change team from 2007 to 2010, when he specialised in advising clients on the wide-ranging aspects of emissions trading, environmental compliance frameworks, environmental markets, renewable energy project development and corporate social responsibility stakeholder engagement.

Andrew's carbon credentials were developed as an accredited auditor under the NSW Government's Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme (2003-2005), a verifier under the Federal Government's Greenhouse Friendly Scheme (2003- 2006), a representative on the Business Council of Australia's Greenhouse Gas Committee (2002, 2003) and in 2005 as an industry delegate to the Australian Government's representation at the United Nations Conference of Climate Change (UNCCC).

Andrew Petersen is well-known to Australian business for his commentary through print and broadcast media on the business implications of climate change. He has been published on the opinion pages of The Australian Financial Review, and has produced thought leadership articles for leading Australian and international corporate and carbon finance publications, including Keeping Good Companies, Environmental Finance, Carbon Finance and the EU publication, Environmental Risk.

He is the lead author of PwC's 2006 Report Carbon Conscious, the 2007 Report Carbon Countdown, and the 2009 Report Carbon Ready or Not, which surveyed 151 businesses on their preparedness for Australia's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and the low carbon economy..

Andrew studied Law and Arts majoring in Political Economics at the University of Sydney and he is a qualified solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW, solicitor of the High Court of Australia, Affiliated Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia and former Director/Company Secretary of Environment Business Australia..

About the Environmental Professionals Forum

The Environmental Professionals Forum (EPF) was formed by a group of masters’ students in 2005 over a few beverages at the Art House. Its charter is to advance the environmental and sustainability profession by providing an informal space to network and exchange ideas. Today the EPF network has grown to over 1000 professionals who reflect the dynamic evolution of the field.

The EPF is run by a voluntary group of committed professionals and is open to anyone with an interest in the environment and sustainability.

The National Energy Efficiency Conference 2015, presented by the Energy Efficiency Council, is Australia’s premier annual event for energy efficiency, demand management and cogeneration. Over 300 efficiency leaders, innovators, energy users and policy makers will connect in Melbourne on 17-18 November 2015 to hear, debate and analyse the latest Australian and global thinking about maximising productivity by saving energy.

What a fantastic and interactive session it was with Lee Stewart, Head of Sustainability ANZ Fujitsu Australia Limited last Tuesday night. We are also delighted to announce that Lee has agreed to be part of the EPF Committee - more on that in our next WOM.

Kate Harris, CEO of the Centre for Sustainability Leadership

Kate Harris, CEO of the Centre for Sustainability Leadership and joint sponsor of the event, gave Lee a very warm welcome noting the clarity of purpose in his work, his enthusiastic approach evidenced from the awards and accolades he has received for his sustainability work.

Lee opened the session by reminding us that "to build a sustainable future, we need to de-couple resource use from growth and that technology underpins that transformation".

Lee Stewart, Head of Sustainability ANZ Fujitsu Australia Limited

Lee then got us thinking about how data storage is fuelled, our e-waste policies and how to engage executives. One of Lee's many drivers is to ensure he leaves his job in a better place for the next person. Taking inspiration from James Kerr, 15 Lessons in leadership Lee, a fellow Kiwi, remembers how the champions do it - They sweep the sheds. They follow the spearhead. They keep a blue head.

Importantly, knowing what your value led, purpose driven story is can help to fuel your journey through the often 'red mist' with a cool blue head to get things done. Lee has often been praised for his great communication skills, but engaging executives across Fujitsu has not been without its own challenges and a useful strategy that has helped with this was to rank each key stakeholder on their sustainability knowledge. This helped Lee first to understand, before he could be understood by formulating the appropriate messaging.

The whole group then completed a SpeedLinks exercise on what traits or skills make a great environmental manager collectively coming up with some great insights including vision, resilience, engagement, passion, empathy, contextualisation to name a few.

Kate Panayotou was the lucky winner of the $300 coaching session with Kate Harris.

Great drinks and nibbles provided by European Catering thanks to Fujitsu

We will be in touch soon with details of our next event and next full WOM. Meanwhile please note below a new job opportunity from Jones Lang La Salle.

JOB OPPORTUNITY

JLL National Sustainability Manager (for the Integrated Facilities Management business), based in Sydney. The role involves providing clients with sustainability advice, client relationship management and building business opportunities from new and existing clients. Please contact Chris Nunn on 02 9220 8654 or chris.nunn@ap.jll.com for further information.

Finally we raised $53 on the evening for the NEPAL Earthquake Appeal - thank you to everyone who contributed, as every dollar helps.

SEE the LIST of SUMMER ELECTIVE COURSES:IEST5008 Ecosystem Management SEE PDFIEST6911 Managing Greenhouse Gas Emissions SEE PDFIEST6641Qualitative Research Methods in Regional Australia SEE PDFSUSD0009 Environmental Auditing SEE HERE

Sydney Renewable is set to achieve a combination of environmental, social and economic returns and is financing over 500kW of photovoltaic solar array on the redevelopment of the Sydney Convention Centre at Darling Harbour. With its unique and highly visible location in the heart of the City, it is hoped the project will act as a beacon of what local people can achieve when they back what they believe in.

To finance the installation, Sydney Renewable is building a group of 400 investors who are passionate about achieving environmental and social returns and also want to see a financial return. The investment process will take place later this year when an official memorandum will be released.

If you’re interested in keeping up to date with Sydney Renewable Power Company, click here to sign up to the mailing list. They are also on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and you can visit the website here.

Contribute to Word of MouthDo you have positions, events or points of interest you’d like to share with the EPF network via Word of Mouth? Please email them to the volunteer EPF Committee in Microsoft Word format with ‘WoM’ as the subject of the email. Please also note that we require approx 12 days lead time. We welcome your contributions. For last minute or immediate posting of events/positions please use our LinkedIn group.